Speech therapy refers to the care given to children and adults with oral and language disorders. The verbal disorders differ from the linguistic in that the former are related to the production of sounds, while the latter are related to understanding these voices and the ability to communicate with others through formulated sentences. Speech therapy is aimed not only at children with complex speech disorders such as autism but also for issues related to language fluency such as stammering. It also addresses articulation, perceptual and expressive disorders.
Moreover, it provides care for children with swallowing difficulties and speech disorders occurring due to congenital defects. Early detection of language and verbal issues is the most determinant factor to the response of children to treatment, their ability to communicate properly with society, and the need for speech therapy sessions later on life. Here, the essential role of parents is highlighted through a wareness and follow-up of the development of their children and their academic performance.
Discover the top 20 ways professional speech and language therapy helps your children to raise their academic performance below:
Top 20 Benefits of Speech Therapy:
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Articulation Skills
Articulation is the harmony that occurs between the tongue, teeth, jaw, saliva and facial muscles to issue the sounds of letters and arrange them to form words and sentences for the purpose of easy communication with the society. Articulation disorders lead to communication difficulties with the society and creation of psychological and social barriers to the child which could be frustrating. Speech therapy helps the child develop the articulation skills for easy communication and understanding of the community.
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Speech Intelligibility
Speech intelligibility is a measure of the kid’s ability to convey the intended meaning of his speech to the listener. It is the degree of relation between the intent of speech and the response of the listener. The presence of obstacles in speech intelligibility negatively affects the communication abilities, which may lead to social and psychological isolation. Speech therapy has a positive impact on the development of verbal expressive skills and communication with others. It also qualifies the child for rapid integration into society.
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Speech Fluency
Fluency is an essential part of the integration of speech, which refers to the sequence and smoothness of words. Stuttering is considered the most common fluency disorder, which is characterized by repetition of words and prolongation of sounds. The treatment plan depends on the individual assessment of each case and determines whether there are concomitant disorders affecting the fluency of speech, such as autism and ADHD. As a consequence, speech therapists use the most appropriate treatment method for each child culturally and socially.
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Expressive Language Skills
Expressive language is essential for proper communication with others, as it enables the child to express his wishes and needs through gestures, words and sentences. Children with disorders of expressive language skills may find it difficult to express information in educational practice as a whole. Such children are also unfamiliar with the surrounding environment, which in turn causes psychological and social disorders. Speech therapy can help your child to remove all barriers within the environment.
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Receptive Language/Listening Skills
Receptive language represents the ability to receive information from the environment, whether in the form of words or light or audio signals. Based on the fact that all activities of the child need an understanding of the language, he/she might face difficulties in understanding and following instructions at home and within the educational environment. This child’s response is improved through a range of regular activities that require cooperative efforts between the speech therapist and the parents, for the aim of raising the social and academic performance.
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Cognitive-Communication Skills
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), cognitive-communication disorders can be defined as any impairment of the cognitive function that negatively affects communication skills. For instance, critical thinking, reasoning, attention and memory are cognitive functions – strongly engaged in academic learning, verbal and non-verbal communication, that requires careful interference from educational therapists, the family and teachers.
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Voice and Resonance
Voice Therapy is a comprehensive program designed to change voice behaviors and lifestyle in order to maintain healthy vocal cords. The program consists of a set of measures designed to eliminate harmful behaviors and establish healthy voice behaviors. The duration and method of the treatment varies according to the assessment of each case, but the most important is the patient’s commitment to healthy vocal behaviors outside the session.
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Swallowing/Feeding Issues
It has been proven that speech therapy can be helpful to children, suffering from swallowing and feeding problems like dysphagia. It helps by dealing with the underlying medical causes and conditioning the surrounding environment for obtaining a better outcome, such as changing type of food, temperature, or position when eating. Improvement of eating habits is incorporated into better communication and social behavior.
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Confidence Development
It has been shown that children with speech disorders suffer from communication difficulties, making them socially isolated. As a result, almost all those children lack confidence and self-esteem. Speech therapy can enhance the confidence level of such children by helping them establish proper communication techniques.
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Social Language
Social language is one of the cornerstones of social communication and is closely related to social perception and social interaction. Social language includes three basic skills, the most important of which is flexibility in the use of language, which changes according to the changing situation and changing the state of the listener. The child’s inability to recognize this variable causes him great difficulties in interacting with peers.
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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Some children may need alternative ways of communication because they suffer from severe speech disorders. AAC includes non-verbal means of communication such as facial expressions and gestures, that are widely used throughout the day, either at home or school. Speech therapy helps each child find the most suitable way of communication, and also helps follow up on their behaviour at home and school.
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Literacy skills
Many children develop literacy skills later in life. It is well-known that phonological awareness skills are the basis for acquiring literacy skills, so children with speech disorders are more likely to suffer from delayed literacy skills. Speech therapy helps children improve their existing skills and also acquire new skills.
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School readiness skills
School readiness refers to the child’s ability to move into school and engage in this small community. School readiness requires a combination of related skills such as physical, psychological and social skills as well as academic fundamentals. The child’s academic readiness makes him more active and interactive – in response to the various activities in the school.
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Language learning
Speech therapy helps children suffering from speech disorders to pick up new languages. It enhances language learning-related skills such as writing, reading, listening and speaking. Proper language learning is associated with heightened ability to catch and analyse information – which has a positive impact on academic performance and test scores.
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Increased independence
Independence is the ability to make decisions and show opinions without the control of others. Until independence is achieved, a person should be able to communicate with his / her environment verbally or non verbally. As a result, children with communication problems often have a dependency problem. Speech therapy helps these children improve their quality of life and independence.
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Improved access to Education
The education process depends on integration of different communication skills to each other. It involves receptive, analytic and expressive communication skills, either verbal or non-verbal. Comprehensive understanding of the communication skills and tools enables children to get easy and excellent access to education.
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Social Benefits
Speech therapy has a powerful positive effect on children suffering from speech disorders, (regarding their social well-being). It helps children to properly communicate within their environment. Integration of children into the society reduces stress and anxiety, helping them to become more emotionally and psychologically healthy.
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Development of Memory Techniques
Memory is a complex mental intellectual activity, which involves perception, storing, retaining, and recalling information. It is noticeable that the first step to the memory process is perception of information, which is basically dependent on proper verbal or non-verbal communication.
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Development of Problem Solving Techniques
Problem solving is a high cognitive function, which is often faced by students during academic learning scenarios. It includes gathering and analysis of the information to solve the problem. Speech therapists help children apply the most appropriate techniques to develop their problem solving techniques.
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Developmental Benefits
Speech therapy helps children with proper development across four sections; cognitive, motor, language and social. It improves motor development through indirect ways. It also develops the emotional and social behavior of the children, which in turn enhances their physical activity.
Conclusion
Speech therapy helps children at school and home better their academic performance and social and emotional behavior. It is indicated to those suffering from complex and simple speech disorders. A triple assessment, involving the therapist, home and school, should be provided for early diagnosis of speech disorders.
Learn more about how professional speech therapy can help your child today!